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Oprah Gets First Dibs on New Obama Anthem

Fri., Nov. 7, 2008 12:50 PM PST by Marc Malkin

Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images; Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Will.i.am debuted his new Barack Obama-inspired music video, "It's a New Day," this morning during a live broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Earlier this year, the Black Eyed Peas frontman had an online hit with "Yes We Can," a video showing celebrities such as John Legend, Scarlett Johansson, Common, Kate Walsh and Eric Balfour reciting an Obama speech.

So how'd Will.iam end up on Oprah this time around?

"I was [in Chicago] on election night, and I was standing next to Gayle King," the artist said at last night's Songs of Hope V benefit for City of Hope at L.A.'s Esquire House. "She asked me if I had anything [more] planned, and I pointed to the cameras behind me and I said, 'I'm doing a video right now, and I have a new song called 'It's a New Day.' And then two hours later, Gayle and Oprah called and asked me to debut the song on Oprah's show."

During the gala last night, Will.i.am received the Nokia Innovator in Music Award. Former Eurythmics music man Dave Stewart performed "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Sweet Dreams," while new American Idol judge and über-producer Kara Dioguardi was a surprise performer, belting out Céline Dion's "Taking Chances."

—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira